MEDIA RELEASE
Australia India Institute welcomes new Labor Government
The Australia India Institute congratulates Anthony Albanese MP and Labor on its election win and looks forward to working with the new Prime Minister and Australian government on strengthening the bilateral relationship between Australia and India.
The Institute’s CEO Lisa Singh has urged the new Labor government to create a ‘Ministerial Champions of India’ group to prioritise the policy and public importance of India as a crucial partner in Australia’s future, and of Australia as a crucial partner in India’s future.
“These Ministerial Champions will help drive the important partnership between India and Australia on a government, business, and cultural level,” Ms Singh said.
Ms Singh said the Quad leaders meeting between Australia, India, the United States and Japan provided an opportunity for the new Australian Government to cement strong ties with the Indian Government and strengthen its security agreements.
“The opportunity for Prime Minister Albanese to meet Prime Minister Modi at such an early stage through the Quad leaders meeting allows both nations to show their continuation of the importance of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and share their geopolitical and economic priorities. This should include a commitment to further trade liberalisation following the recent signing of the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA),” Ms Singh said.
Ms Singh said the Institute would invite key Australian Ministers and champions to the preeminent Australia India Leadership Dialogue to be held in September in New Delhi.
The Track 1.5 Dialogue is the premier forum for informal diplomacy between Australia and India, bringing together delegates from government, business, academia, media, and civil society to address key issues in the Australia-India relationship, including shared challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region.
“As India celebrates its 75th year of Independence in 2022, this is a unique opportunity for a new Labor government to showcase Australia’s commitment to the importance of our bilateral relationship and shared interests.
“I look forward to welcoming Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and other ministerial champions to the Institute to showcase the research and policy work the Institute does as a facilitator for a stronger Australia-India relationship ,” she said.
The Australia India Institute’s three key program areas include: security and geopolitics, bilateral economy and cultural diplomacy. For more information to go: https://aii.unimelb.edu.au/programs/
For media inquiries please call Sarah Whyte 0481 484 571 or email sarah.whyte@unimelb.edu.au